Improvement in windmills



2 Sheets--Sheet1. M. l'.- ALTHUUSE 8L G. RAYMOND.

l 2Sheets--Sheet2. M. l. ALTHOUSE & G. RAYMOND.

Wind-Mills'.

Patented Feb. 10,1874.

UNITED STAT PATENT Orrron Mill() `J AIJTHOUSE i'-\NI).GORG RAYMOXD, OF VAIPN, YVISCONSIN. Y

IMPROVEMENT lN WINDNIILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,355, dated l-ehiuary l0, 1874 application tiled December 5, 18725,

To ullhhom it may concern *ie itA known that we, 'Mino J. AL'rnoL'sn and GEO. ItAYnOND, of I'Vaupun, in the county ot' Fond du Lac a-nd State of 'isconsin haveinl vented certain Improvements in f'iHd-NheelS, ot' which the following is a specification:

Our invention consists in certain details ot' construction whereby the wheel is made to automatically regulate itself', and in other respects is rendered more perfect, as hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure l is a side elevation of our improved wheel, with portions shown in section to more fully illustrate its construction. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and (i are views ot' portions shown enlarged and more in detail.

ln construct-in g oui-improved wheel,we1nake the central portion A of the frame ot' metal, with a central tubular hub, l, which` iits in a metallic cap, li, secined upon the post or up: right frame N, as shown` in Fig. l. lo the rear end ot' the post A we attach a vane, V, rigidly, and at the frontprovide it with a rigid tubular sleeve,Ii. (See Figsland.) Through this sleeve Il the shaft B of the wheel extends and has its bearing, lthere being also another bearing for the rear end ot' the shat't on the part A, as shown in. Fi l, though, it" preferred, the tubular bearing L may extend the entire distance. The wheel consists ot' a hub, E, secured rigidly to the'shat't B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and having projecting radially therefrom aseries ot' arms, J'. 'lo each ot' these arms, at their outer ends, we secure rigidly a metallic piece, (i, made in the torni of a doublel bracket or elbow, as shown in Fig. (5,.these pieces being secured to the arms J so as to project from them at right angles,as shown in Fig. l. The wings ofthe wheel consist'ot' aj series of slats, e, secured rigidly and at an inclination to a bar, Il, as represented in Fig. ti, the bar being of sufficient length to reach from the extremity o1 one arm, J, tothe .next adjoining one, or nearly so, the slats e being wider at their outer ends, and bein g arranged at right angles to the bar Il, so that each bar ll, .with its complement ot' slats e, shall forni a wing, I, that will extend from one arin, J, to another, the wings or slats e of vwhich it is composed being of such alength as, when hung, to leave an open space at the center of the wheel, as indicated in Fig. 1. The bars H are secured at their ends to a metal bracket, f, as shown in Fig. 6, the bracket being cast with a recess, into which the end of the bar tits,

and is secured by screws or bolts. 'lhese brackets j are provided with "a projection or ear, n, whiehhas a hole through it in line with the bar Il, and through which a rod, {1,pa-sses, said rod, at each end, also passing through an arm of the double bracket G, as shown in Fie'. 6, and being secured by a nut, t. By this a-rrangement, it will be seen that the rods d serve to hold the wings I in position, and at the saine time serve as tie-rods to unite the outer ends of the arms J', and also as pivots on which the wings I turn, as shown bythe dotted lines in Fi fr. 1.` Near the inner ends ot' the slats e oiea'ch win gwe secure another bar, T, Fic'. 1, and to each of these we secure a rod, e, and to the opposite end 4of this is pivoted another rod, 1, which has its opposite end pivoted to a hub, l), keyed upon the front end ot' the shaft l5 in trontof the wheel-hub E, as shown in Figs. l and G, this hub D be ing so secured to the shat't that it can be adjusted thereon back or forward, in order to vary the position ofthe rods I) c as maybe .neeessarygto tip the wings I more or less. 'lo the rods b are pivoted another set or' rods, u, which latter have their rear ends pivoted to a hub, C, that bot-h turns and slides freely upon the sleeve L, as shown in Figs. l and 2. A clutch, 7, engages in a circumferential groove in the exterior ot' the hub G, this clutch Ibeing secured rigidly to the end of a guide-rod, g, which slides freely in bearings on the part A. 'lhe clutch is connected, by-jointed rods l and i', to the rear i end .ot the part A, and to these rods,by a link, I,'is.conn`ected a lever, 7c, which is pivoted upon a fraine'or support, u, and has arranged uponits rear end au adjustable weight, on, as shown iu Fig. 1,1threre bein g also a hand-rod, conneeted'to the rod i, and

extending down to withinlreach of aperson standing below, by which the wings can be tipped, when desired,by hand. The joint-rods 71I and `z', as shown in Fie'. l, are set at an angle, so that when the wings first begin to tip they will exert more power to raise the weight m than they will after the wings have tipped some distance, this result being due to the fact that the force is exerted upon the front end ot' the lever 7a more nearly in a direct line when the joint-rods h i are elevated than when def pressed, the powerlrequired to operate the 1ever k and elevate the weight increasing in pr0- portion as the rods h z' approach a horizontal position or right line. By this arrangement of parts, the wings are made to tip very easily at the start, and thus the wheel isrendered very sensitive to any change in the force of the wind, and made more perfectly automatic. The hubs O and D we construct of two metal plates, each forming one-halt' of the hub, divided transversely through its enlarged part, as shown in Fig. 2, each part being cast with radial notches or recesses to receive the ends of the rods a or b, and each having in their adjoining faces a circular or annular groove to receive and hold a small rod, t, which, passing through the ends of all the rods a or b, serves as a pivot for them, as shown in Fig. 3, which is a face view of one part of the hub l), with the arms attached, as described. By this method of constructing these hubs, the two parts can be east complete, when it is only necessary to insert the rods a or l) and their pivot-rod t, and then bolt the two halves together, thus greatly cheapenin and expeditin g their manufacture.

It desired, the hub E of the wheel may be made in like manner, it, however, only requiring radial grooves to receive and clasp the ends of thc arms J'.

The ordina-ry method of conneetin the pitinan to the pump-rod is to use a bolt, with a nut or key to keep it in place; but these soon wear, rendering the joint loose, and then there is a constant play of the parts at each movement of the pump rod, creating a jerking movement, accompanied by a elatter and constantlyincreasing wear and looseness. To remedy this, we provide a metal strap, O, which has a mortisc or socket in its upper end of proper size to admit the lower end of the pitman a, and permit it to oscilla-tc slightly therein, as shown in Figs. @L and 5. le then provide a tapering pin, l, with a screw-thread on it near its head, as shown. This pin isinserted through a hole in the piece O and the pitman n, as shown, it being screwed in until it tills the holes in each; and whenever it becomes loose bythe wear of the parts it can be screwed farther in, and its tapering or increased size will again till the enlarged holes, thus compensating for the wear, the screwthread serving not only to adjust the pin, but also to hold it in place.

It will be observed that while the shaft of the wheel turns inthe sleeve or tube L, the

- hub C turns and slides upon the outside ot' said tube or sleeve, and this turning and sliding of the hub upon the sleeve tends to keep it free from ice, which would otherwise form thereon, and prevent the wings from adj listing` themselves readily; a-nd in ease ici. should be formed upon the sleeve while the wheel stands still, the hub U will be loosened the moment the wheel starts, and will very soon remove any ice that may be on the sleeve, thus lea-ving the wheel free to automatically adjust itself or its wings according to the force of the wind. By this mode ofconstruction we obviate the difficulty which exists in all machines which use a sliding hub or collar mounted directly upon the shaft, and in which the wings are prevented from adjusting themselves whenever the hub or collar is prevented fromsliding, as it is necessarily, by the formation of ice on the parts, thus seriously impairing the utility of the wheel, and causing it to soon become deranged or broken.

It will r also be observed that by pivoting the wings I, as represented, so that they project from the front face of the arms J, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation ofthe wheel will at once tend to throw the wings outward from the center, thereby causing them to turn endwise to the wind, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l., and thus cause them to adjust themselves at a greater or less angle, according to the velocity of the wind, and that, as the wings are thus inclined, the hub C is drawn forward, thereby elevating the weight nz, which serves to draw the wings back to their position as soon as the wind lessens its force.

By these several improvements we are enabled to construct a wheel that is very perfect in its operation, aml not liable to get out ot' order.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The shaft B ofthe wind-wheel, in combination with the tube or sleeve L and the sliding and rotary hub or collar C, the shaft workingI within the sleeve, and the collar moving upon the outside of the sleeve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hubs or collars (l l), composed ot two pieces, having' a groove formed in their adjoining faces to receive and hold the pivotrod t, with recesses in their edges for receiving the ends ofthe pivoted rods, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the pivoted wings l and their brace-rods I) e, the hub l), secured upon the shaft I3 in such a manner as to permit its longitudinal :.idjusti'nent thereon, for the purpose of setting the wings at any desired angle, as set forth.

4C. lln combination with the sliding collar O, the joint-rods /l i and the weighted lever 7.', the said parts being' arranged to operate substantiallyas described, for rendering the wings l self-adjusting, and causing them to operate more easily at the commencement ot' the adjustin g movement, as set forth.

5. 'lhe socket-piece or bracket/j", provided with a recess to receive the end of the bar ll7 and with an ear or projection, 1:, for pivoting it upon the rod d, as set forth. v

(i. The tapering pin l), providedwith a screwthread next to its head, in combination with metal piece 0, all constructed as described, for the purpose of compensating for the wear of the parts, and keeping the joint tight, as set forth.

MIL() J. ALTHOUSE. GEORG-E RAYMOND. lVitncsses:

D. S. DEAN, A. Nunn. 

